Painting the Roses Red
by RaiuxNeexChan
Summary: You know what? I hate summaries. So do you. There will be yaoi, need I say more? Don't like, don't read/flame. The intro and first chapter are up. Akuroku/Soriku main. Read. Review. Spread it like an STD.
1. Introduction

This is a tester. If you like it, lemme know, hey? I'm writing this because I thought it might be interesting. If you like it and know others that might, spread the word, please?

Painting the Roses Red, A Bleach/Kingdom Hearts Crossover. Main AkuRoku and SoRiku. There will be Yaoi, but mostly an adventure. I will be posting the first chapter, then attempting to catch up on my Wolf's Rain Crossover. I do not own any of the characters, nor anything that might be mentioned later on. Please don't flame. If you don't like it, don't read it. I will also post this on my dA, so It'll be available then as well. I'm also tempted to write a Kuroshitsuji/Kingdom Hearts crossover. Give me your love/reviews. Please?

Love,

Raiu Nee-chan


	2. The First 17 Years

Painting the Roses Red

A Bleach/Kingdom Hearts FanFic

Disclaimer= Psh, yeah, as IF I own anything. I'm just a sad little writer of fanfiction.

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(Renji POV)

Humming nervously, I tapped my fingers anxiously against the arm of the uncomfortable Hospital chair I was forced to wait in. My long time friend, Ichigo, paced the narrow waiting room as we awaited word from the nurses. With every pained scream that rang down the hallway to where we waited, our nerves wound just that much tighter. After a minute, the screams stopped, and the cries of healthy young lungs could be heard trickling through the air.

We turned to look at each other, before turning again to face the nurse who waited, beaming, in the doorway. "Misters Kurosaki and Abarai?" she asked, "If you'd please come with me."

I jumped up, relief and anxiety prominent on my features. Ichigo looked blank, but his eyes sparkled. We followed the nurse, and were led to two seperate rooms. We gave each other a final look of determination and excitement, before going in.

I darted into the quiet room, and was greeted with the sight of two healthy young infants. A crop of red hair stood out like a shock on one of them, while the other had a single tuft of black fuzz on its head. "Rukia..." I murmured, eyes wide, "Twins?"

She smiled at me, and nodded. "The redhead is a little boy. He looks just like his father," she beamed at me, never wavering.

I smiled weakly, before saying, "And the other boy looks just like his mother, black hair and delicate features. Almost like a girl..."

Laughing softly, Rukia stopped me, and said, "She is a girl."

Eyes rolling back in my head, I crumpled to the ground in a dead faint.

* * *

(Ichigo POV)

I strode silently to my wife's side, blinking tenderly down at the two babies that were nestled in her arms. Both had a sharp spike of hair that resembled a shining tawny gold. One seemed a slightly darker shade, but it was hard to tell. "Inoue," I murmured gently, placing a hand on her sweat-matted orange locks, "They're so beautiful."

She blinked up at me tiredly, smiling as gently as a flower tilting in a spring breeze. She gazed fondly at the two, holding them closer, before looking questioningly up at me. "Would you like to hold one of your sons?" she asked softly, shifting the lighter haired of the two in her arm.

My throat worked tightly, fighting to spill the words of love and congratulations for her hard efforts, but I ended with a mere nod, taking the light haired child into my arms and cradling him awkwardly. I stared at his face, memorizing the cherubic features lovingly. Inoue cooed to the second child, singing the words "Sora, Sora!" over and over again to the baby.

I listened quietly, before murmuring to my son, "Roxas..."

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(Roxas POV)

**(7 years later)**

"ROXAS! HURRY UP!"

"Axel!" I cried in exasperation, "Wait up! Your legs are longer!"

Scowling back at me, the red haired 7 year old tapped a foot impatiently, hands stuck in the belt of his black robe. "C'mon, slowpoke Roxas! We're gonna be LATE! Sora and Xion are already ahead of us I bet!"

I puffed my way over to him, too out of breath to form a coherent sentence. Axel grabbed my hand, and began tugging me along, causing us to move much faster through the maze-like paths that led to where our mentors waited to train us. I whined as Axel dragged me along, grumbling about how unfair it was having to be up so early. Axel merely bobbed his head while leading the way into the clearing near the Shrine of Penitence. I knew he wasn't listening, but I felt better venting to him.

After another minute of manuevering the labrynthian route, we emerged from the buildings into the wide stone pavilion leading to the white tower we sought. The ruffled brown spikes and sleek black bob cut that was Sora and Xion were already there, along with the silvery blonde hair of Riku, Demyx's strange mullet-hawk, the pale blue-black fringed haircut of Zexion, Kairi's wine red boy cut, and Namine's back length blonde mane. Axel and I took our places between Demyx and Namine, as our mentors sighed at our late arrival. "Abarai, Kurosaki, try not to be late in the future," Captain Kenpachi growled, scowling down at us fiercely.

I flinched inwardly, knowing to show any sign of fear to the Captain would bring complete attention to me for the entire training period. Both Axel and I stood straighter, barking in reply, "Yes, sir, Captain Kenpachi, sir!"

He grumbled in approval, then stalked along our line, sizing each of us up. A pink-haired girl bounced along behind him, smiling hugely and waving at each of us in turn. If we hadn't met her before, or seen the Lieutenant's badge on her arm, you would think she were a trainee like us. I remember being shocked when we first met her, since she looked no older than us and was talking so easily to Captain Kenpachi. Yachiru was a strange one to be sure...

After running over what we were supposed to do for the day, we were split into pairs. It went boy-girl boy-girl until he reached Axel and I, and we were paired up. Sora and Kairi were paired up, then Zexion and Namine, and Demyx with Xion. Riku glanced up at the Captain, waiting quietly to see who he would be grouped with, and we all turned to look at the silverette. Kenpachi cast a baleful eye on the lone boy, and growled, "You're with Sora and Kairi. Get to it."

The trio clustered together, smiling at each other excitedly and shifting uneasily. The task for the day was a game of "Hide and Seek". It was a search and destroy game, the idea being that we tag our targets with our Zanpakuto in sword form. We were instructed to stay in our groups, and the only group to split apart would be those that were seeking, though it was not recommended. I grinned up at Axel, who snickered silently. This was our favorite training exercise.

Kenpachi stopped in the middle of the line, and backed up. Yachiru suddenly appeared on the Captain's shoulder, and the man drew out his Zanpakuto. "BEGIN!" he thundered, preparing to lunge at the group.

We scattered in many different directions, and he allowed us to get ahead. Axel and I raced along, panting giddily as we made turn after turn, then making a race down a straightaway. We finally stopped in a dead end, panting heavily as we listened for the sounds of approach. We fell against the wall, giggling slightly.

I turned to Axel, who grinned expectantly back. "How long do you think it'll take this time?" I chuckled between gulps of air. Yachiru was horrible at giving directions, so it was harder to be found by the Captain and Lieutenant than it was to hide from them.

Barking out a quiet laugh, he shrugged, and replied, "I dunno. It took him all day last time. And we were the last ones found. So, a while. Did you bring anything?"

I grinned and nodded. I had planned for this, since my dad had let slip that Kenpachi was planning hide and seek for the trainees today. I reached into the pouch hidden beneath my robes, and withdrew a couple apples and several pieces of chalk. He took one of the red fruits, biting into the crisp flesh quickly. I set mine on the ground, and began doodling on the ground. The smooth gray tile that provided pathway were perfect art material, and allowed us to get really creative.

We continued like this for about an hour, before the sounds of running feet approached us. I sucked in a breath and waved a hand to quiet Axel's giggles. He had been drawing a rather gross picture of a woman, and he paused midsketch, and raised his head. The approach didn't sound like Kenpachi, but nonetheless. we drew our Zanpakuto and pressed ourselves against the wall. After a moment, the panting forms of Demyx and Xion staggered past, Zanpakutos in hand as they glanced over their shoulders. They didn't seem to notice us, and continued on, dashing around a corner and away. A few seconds later, Captain Kenpachi and Yachiru raced past, hot on the heels of the other two. We glanced at each other after they were out of sight and we could no longer hear them. Clearing away the chalk drawings, we raced away from our previous hiding place and away from where the sounds of clashing swords could be heard.

I felt guilty for leaving them to fend for themselves, but Axel had long ago assured me that it was better to leave them and remain uncaught. I had learned the hard way however, having led Axel into the middle of a fray to help another group that had been beset by Kenpachi. We had lost the game, but we had helped the others escape.

After a few more moments of running, we had managed to find a decent hiding spot inside a storage shed, which also gave us plenty of activity to keep busy. We stood near the door for about 10 minutes, and heard nothing, so we began our search of the store house. I pulled out an old looking box, and began digging throughthe contents, finding robes and a couple pairs of shoes. After completely emptying the contents, I rooted around the bottom, feeling the panels, before carefully replacing each object and closing it.

Axel gave a low whistle, causing me to return the box to its resting place, and rush over to where Axel sat. He held up a pair of black slippers, making me giggle and Axel to grin wider. They looked downright silly with gold ribbon and little bells sewn to the tips. Snorting and chuckling, we replaced the shoes and closed the box, before breaking into somewhat silent laughter. We fell deathly silent however, when the sounds of footsteps sounded outside. Eyes wide, we stared at the door, before drawing our Zanpakuto and pointing them at the entryway. Voices sounded outside, and we heard the clicking of the door's latch. I shivered, taking a step back. Axel, however, edged forward, bristling in fear and exhiliration.

Swinging wide quickly, we squinted our eyes, taking in a tall shape. I squeaked, and leapt forward, swinging the sword blindly, and heard a surprised shout. I hit nothing, and I continued to quiver fearfully until my eyes adjusted, showing the tall forms of Ukitake and Shunsui. They looked startled, but quickly settled, smiling endearingly at us, as Axel stepped into the sunlight, looking somewhat guilty. "Kenpahi's training?" Ukitake asked gently, looking at each of us in turn, before grinning, "You'd better run, I can hear the Captain coming."

Breath catching fearfully, I listened hard, and sure enough I could hear Yachiru calling directions to Kenpachi. Sharing a look with Axel, we pelted away, dashing down roads at random. We could hear them catching up, and in a last ditch attempt, we turned down the next alley we came to, only to hit a dead end. However, we had been looking back, so we ended up running smack into the stone. I fell back with a yelp, holding my sore, bloodied jaw in one hand and curling up into a ball. Axel staggered over, and laid a hand on my shoulder, pleading with me to stand. "C'mon, Roxas, we gotta go! You gotta get up! Rox!" he hissed, looking up desperately only to let out a groan.

I peeked up through teary eyes, seeing the towering form of Kenpachi with Yachiru on his shoulder. He glared down at us, while Yachiru smiled happily at the fact she had led him properly. I jumped to my feet, running a tongue over my sore teeth while pointing my sword awkwardly at Kenpachi. Axel stood shoulder to shoulder with me, also pointing his weapon at the captain. Kenpachi snorted and drew his own sword, before pouncing on us so quickly that we couldn't follow his blur of movement. Two firm whacks sent us rolling, and when we stood my back and Axel's leg smarted terribly. Recovering our swords, we fell in behind the captain and Yachiru, following the pair back to the pavilion. The other three groups already waited in a cluster near the middle, making my mood lighten considerably. Being found last meant you had the least amount of chores to do.

After directing each group to seperate into partners again, The four groups stood awkwardly in their seperate places, waiting to be sentenced to their chores, when three other captains approached us. Milling in shock, we stared at them, eyes wide in wonder and confusion. Ukitake, Hitsugaya, and the captain of division 4 stood next to Kenpachi, scrutinizing us with serious eyes. A thought crossed my mind, making me pale fearfully. I gripped Axel's hand, blinking at him with huge eyes when he turned to see what the matter was. I leaned over, whispering "They're gonna seperate us! Permanently, ya know? Like, we'll be in divisions instead of being the trainee squad."

He gaped at me, then pulled me closer, before inching toward the closest group. Kenpachi noticed this however, and a barked order of, "Stop squirming!" made Axel freeze in place and rejoin me where I shifted sullenly. "Well, Captains, you've got your choice," Kenpachi rumbled.

A shocked murmur broke out among the groups, and other kids began huddling closer together. The division 4 captain went first, calling out the names of Kairi, Xion, and Namine. The three seperated from their groups, only to huddle together upon reaching the captain. They were then led away. Ukitake stepped forward then, calling out Demyx and Zexion's names, before leading them away as well. Lastly, Hitsugaya stepped forward, and gave us all a thorough looking over, before saying, "Kurosaki twins, come with me."

I rushed over to Sora, grabbing his hand and walking hesitantly towards our new leader. Axel let out a groan, as he and Riku were led away by Kenpachi. Little did I know, that was the last time I would get to see Axel for the next few years.

* * *

**(10 years later)**

Sora and I stood side by side, bowing respectfully to our parents. We had just turned 17, and now was the time to move to our own rooms. We had been paired with other men our age from different divisions. Normally, this was unheard of, but apparently it was for the good of the divisions, so we made our way to our respective buildings, seperating at the last moment. Sora was tearful, but I was silent and took the break easily. With a turn, we saw each other one last time before entering the building. I was greeted with the sight of brilliant red hair that looked vaguely familiar, and a surprised shout. "ROXAS!" the man squealed, seizing me firmly and spinning me about.

Stiffening in surprise, I squinted at the vaguely familiar face with its brilliant green eyes, but I couldn't quite place the face. A name clicked distantly, echoing into the foreground of my thoughts. "... A... xel?" I questioned uncertainly, taking in the new marks of my supposed old friends face. He had copied his father in tattooing his face, whom I knew quite well from dealings with my own. Small black triangles stood out starkly beneath his eyes, making his narrow eyes seem somewhat more open. And for some strange reason, his eyebrows were small spots upon his brow rather than the thin lines I remembered. In all, he was fairly different from what I originally remembered him to be. He now towered over me at a shocking six foot two. This made me incredibly jealous.

His face fell at my questioning of his name, and he pouted, making me snort. "You really don't remember?" he said sadly, "We were best friends when we were little. We got split up when we were 7, and we've been seperated since. How've you been?"

I blinked skeptically, causing the tall redhead's face to fall. The crushed expression made my insides squirm guiltily, and I hurried to reassure him. "No, no! I remember you! It's just... it's been awhile, hasn't it?" I trailed off, looking confused and lost, "We're... best friends, right?"

He scratched his hair ruefully, huffing a quick, short sigh. He turned away, shoulders slumped, and resumed unpacking his stuff. He murmured sorrowfully to himself, then sat on the edge of his bed and watched me take my place on the opposite bed. I just dropped my bag on the bed, and stared thoughtfully back at Axel. "It's really been a long time, hasn't it? Ten long years. I think... the last we saw each other... we had been training with Kenpachi?"

Looking up hopefully, the redhead smiled at me, and nodded eagerly. "Yeah, one of Kenpachi's infamous games of Hide and Seek. We got cornered in a dead end, and that's when he caught us. I remember your jaw was all ripped up from hitting the wall. In fact, the scar is still there..." he said softly, crawling over to touch my jaw where the small mark sat.

I stiffened in surprise, but he pulled away after touching it, grinning mischievously at me. I gulped, remembering that look, as the redhead tackled me around the middle. I yelped and began thrashing about, pushing with my hands and feet in an attempt to free myself. Axel seemed unfazed, save for the twitching grin on his face, and began to dance his fingers up and down my sides. I shrieked in the least manly way possible, and began laughing uncontrollably. Once my breath began to run short, I worked my way free with a deft twist to the left and found myself sitting on Axel's stomach, whose face was scrunched in laughter. I scowled at him, then dealt a swift punch to his sternum. I waved my hand as he coughed, face going flat in shock.

I stood up, feeling self-satisfied, and walked outside to look around. I heard talking down the hall so I wandered toward the sound and knocked on the door frame. There was a patter of footsteps, and Sora flung the door open. We locked eyes for a moment before he squealed excitedly and dragged me into the room. Riku sat on one of the beds, reclining against the wall with a gentle smile on his face. I remembered Riku far more easily, since he had visited every so often and talked whenever we happened to see each other. I sat on what I assumed was Sora's bed, and nodded in greeting to the silverette. Sora bounced over to where Riku sat and flopped across the man's lap, stomach pressed against his legs. He looked a lot like Kon, the little stuffed animal dad had gave us as children. "Sora, do you know you remind me of Kon right now?" I snorted, covering my face as I snickered at the idea.

Sora merely stuck out his tongue, and replied, "So? And I wouldn't say that, Kon can hear you."

I paled, and turned slowly at the soft growling sound to my left. Kon sat there, arms crossed, and glared at me. "Why does it sound like you're insulting me, Roxas? Hmmm? Do I need to talk to your father about this?" the stuffed lion groused, tapping a fluffy paw against his felt arm.

I dipped my head guiltily, hiding the grin that graced my features. I knew he wouldn't go, since he and dad didn't get along very well. Of course, Kon had been a shared toy between Sora and I, so he did love us a fair bit. He preferred Rukia, Renji's wife, but he got along quite well with Sora.

"I'm sorry, Kon," I murmured humbly, "I only meant to say that he reminded me of when we used to hold you on our lap, since his hair was all spiky like yours."

Expression softening_ (which was quite strange to see on a stuffed animal, I tell you!), _Kon walked over and patted my arm. I grinned and picked him up, squeezing him gently. He harrumphed and complained, but I knew he liked it when we picked him up, having heard him confide it to my mother several years ago. I ruffled his worn spikes lovingly, then set him down to resume my conversation with Sora and Riku. "So, you're roommates now?" I asked, staring plainly at the two.

Riku nodded, patting Sora's back and causing the brunette to stutter, "Oh! Y-yeah! We're roommates! Who're you stuck with?"

I shrugged, and replied nonchalantly, "Axel."

Sora gawped at me, and Riku looked mildly startled, before the two bombarded me with questions, like, "Really? How cool!" from Riku or "How is he? Does he look different?" from Sora.

I answered them both to the best of my ability, until a knock sounded on the doorframe. Riku shoved Sora off unceremoniously, causing my twin to yelp in shock as he tumbled onto the floor, so that he could answer the door. Axel stood in the doorway, hand raised to knock again, and he gave a sheepish grin. "Roxas here?" he asked, peeking at Sora on the floor with a surprised look.

"Yeah, c'mon in," Riku said quietly, stepping aside to let the redhead in. I nodded to Axel, who beamed and flopped down onto the bed next to me. Both of us made a face at the muffled yelp that sounded from behind Axel, who then moved to reveal a pissed-off looking Kon. The lion began yelling angrily at the tall man, who returned fire with equal venom.

I sighed and shook my head, since this reminded me of old arguments the two used to have when Axel stayed over. Apparently my dad used to argue with Kon like this all the time, until they came to understand each other. I hoped this would be the same for Axel and Kon. I turned to talk with Sora, but he was busy talking quietly with Riku. Giving a soft sigh, I cast Axel and Kon another glance, but the two were deeply immersed in their argument which for some reason had turned to whether or not stuffed animals were people or not.

I stepped silently from the room, garnering a quick glance from Sora and Riku, and closed the door behind me before returning to my own room. I walked to my bag and opened it. Shifting through the paltry contents, I pulled out a picture of my family from when I was five and just starting training, followed by a weapon cleaning kit. I paused and rubbed the dark, worn old case containing the kit before setting it aside and pulling the last item from the depths. A small blue black jewelry case glimmered in the lighting as I shifted it, looking at it from different angles before smoothing a hand along the cloth outside. A tiny latch held it closed, and I worried a thumb over it before flicking it open and staring at the old piece of silver inside. A thin platinum chain was attached to a loop between two spikes of the four pointed star that I touched reverently with my fingertips. I lifted a corner of the cloth beneath the necklace and pulled out the well-worn letter. Picking it up and unfolding the creased, yellowed sheet, I re-read the contents that I had practically memorized.

_"Dear Roxas,_

_I know we might never see each other again, but I want you to have this. I wonder if you'll miss me as much as I already miss you? Any way, I thought you might like this, so I made it myself. Well, actually know, that's a lie. My dad brought it back from one of his missions. Just remember me when you see this okay?_

_Your best friend,_  
_Abarai Axel"_

I refolded the old paper and replaced it under the the thin velvet that cushioned the star. Pulling out the tarnished necklace, I rubbed it against my robes to remove some of the faint black marks. Once I deemed it clean enough, I slipped the chain over my head and allowed the pendant to drop beneath the folds of my black outer robe. As I shifted the garment back into place, Axel walked in with Kon tucked under one arm. He glanced over at me curiously, and made his way to my bed to plop beside me. Reaching over, he dropped Kon in my lap, where the stuffed animal huffed and grumbled before settling himself in a sitting position on my lap and glaring at the redhead. Axel merely ignored him while gazing up at me from where he lay. I ignored his gaze, stowing away the darkly colored box and my bag.

After resettling on the bed, I felt Axel's arms wrap around my middle and pull me down, hugging me close with his face pressed to my back. "I'm sorry," he murmured into my robe, rubbing his face against the cloth, "I really missed you, but I never visited. Please don't be mad."

I sat quietly in place, staring down at my hands and Kon's fluffy face. He looked a trifle shocked, but waved his paws to urge me to answer. I placed one hand delicately on Axel's arm, feeling him tense, and whispered back, "It's all right, I forgive you. You couldn't help it."

Axel laughed shortly, and tightened his arms around my middle before releasing me completely. "Thanks," he said softly, ruffling my already messy spikes before going to his own bed and stretching out. He kept his back to me however, and it hurt slightly. Even though I had promised my forgiveness, he didn't seem as if he had forgiven himself.

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**A/N: **Yes please? Review? First person gets a story for themselves. Everyone else gets cookies and ice cream. I love you?


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